The meet in which the 3200-meter race occurred could not have been less memorable. It was a junior high meet last spring, possibly against Meyers, although Sutton nor Hockenbury could say for sure. The conditions - rainy, cold and windy - were not conducive to running fast times.

Hockenbury, the only entrant in the race, went out and ran 10 minutes, 14 seconds, almost 10 seconds faster than the record time at the now-defunct District 2 Junior High meet. Sutton, watching from the stands, had seen the future.

"That was when it was really surprising," Sutton said. "I was like, 'Wow, I have to get my time down. This kid who is three or four years younger than me is just about as fast as me.' It was kind of shocking and exciting at the same time, knowing that I'd get to run with him."

Three years ago, Kieran Sutton was Dominic Hockenbury, a rail-thin freshman with a non-stop motor and boundless potential. He qualified for the PIAA Cross Country Championships, but his progress would soon stagnate. The following cross country season, he had a nagging hip injury and failed in his quest to return to states.

He made it back to states as a junior, finishing 123rd, 63 spots ahead of his freshman finish. Over the past year, he has grown about six inches and added a bit of muscle to his once toothpick-esque frame.

"His form has gotten tremendous over the past year and so that's where he has made a lot of his gains," Lake-Lehman track coach John Sobocinski said. "And he never backs down from a hard workout."

Sutton qualified for the PIAA Track & Field Championships last year in the 1600 run, finishing 25th. But the turning point came during the fall when Sutton, armed with Hockenbury as his training partner, won the District 2 Class AA Cross Country title. At states, he placed fifth, while Hockenbury (22nd) recorded the state's second fastest time for a freshman.

The cross country season fostered a connection between the veteran and the rookie. The two worked out in tandem, keeping one another company on 10-mile runs through the Back Mountain. As the only championship-level runners on the cross country team, they were the lone wolves.

"We both take turns setting the pace and pushing each other," said Sutton, who is committed to run cross country and track at Shippensburg University. "If one of us is having a bad day, we help to push each other through."

The journey to distance running for both Sutton and Hockenbury began in elementary school physical education class during the yearly mile run. A dreaded exercise in aerobic torture for most, Sutton and Hockenbury ran circles around their respective classmates, the same ones who would outmuscle them on the basketball court.

"For once," Hockenbury said, "you're finally beating people that you wouldn't beat in any other sport."

Sutton moved on from gym class to local road races, beginning with one-mile youth runs before graduating to the 5K. Hockenbury joined the junior high team in seventh grade and placed 20th at his first meet, the Cliff Robbins Invitational.

"In seventh grade, I looked up to all the (older) guys," Hockenbury said. "They were running times that seemed impossible to me. Now that I train with Kieran, I'm getting closer to those times I want to run."

The long training runs and track workouts have paid dividends. In the Black Knights' season-opening meet against Meyers on March 26, Sutton and Hockenbury each ran 9:59 in the 3200. They alternated the lead and drafted off each other, a tandem in every sense of the word. Sutton, who did not break 10:00 in the 3200 until his junior year, has come to expect these blistering times from Hockenbury.

"The surprises kind of stopped after eighth grade," Sutton said. "I don't think of it anymore as a surprise, but if you put it in perspective how fast he's running compared to every other ninth-grader, it's really crazy. I think I've just gotten used to it by now."

Added Hockenbury: "Once you do something, you feel compelled to do even better the next time. With this sport, you're never happy."

Hockenbury and Sutton will be teammates for, at most, six more weeks; the PIAA Track & Field Championships are the weekend of May 24. Until then, it will be Sutton and Hockenbury, running side by side on the track and around the Back Mountain. Soon, Sutton will ship off to Shippensburg, and Hockenbury will be left without a training partner.

Hockenbury is not concerned. He logs mile after mile to feed his distance running addiction. And while Sutton is winding down his high school career, his protégé is only beginning to scratch the surface of his talent.

"Running," Hockenbury said, "has become my life."

ekorn@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2054

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